Apple cider vinegar: Good for varicose veins?

Looking for a home remedy varicose vein cure? Proponents of apple cider vinegar will tell you it has amazing powers – including to reduce the pain and inflammation of varicose veins.

Although rubbing apple cider vinegar on your legs or drinking a few teaspoons of it a day probably will help your blood flow, there is no evidence that it will cure the underlying cause for your varicose vein symptoms.

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If you search the Internet, you can find headlines and articles that claim apple cider vinegar improves blood flow, bring about various “positive results” and will “cure” varicose veins.

At the same time, they will also tout the benefits of garlic, cayenne pepper and cod liver oil. Some of these food items may contain minerals or nutrients that are important to human health. But they don’t have anywhere near enough of these elements to address illness or physical malfunctions.

While you can find some relief from varicose veins from non-medical self-treatment – like exercising, watching your weight, and avoiding long stints of standing or sitting – the only way to cure varicose veins once you get them is with medical procedures.

And while you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the Internet, there are some suggested uses for apple cider vinegar that sound more reasonable:

Use it as a substitute for balsamic vinegar in salad dressing.

Stop cats from biting cords around the house by rubbing a bit on a cotton ball and onto the cord every four to five days.

Make a fruit fly trap by putting a thin layer of apple cider vinegar in a cup with a drop of dish soap. Set it out on the counter and the fruit flies will fly in.

When you have a question about what will really work to address varicose vein symptoms, contact our doctors at the Vein Institute of Connecticut at (203) 426-5554 or schedule a consultation here.